Sport Utility Vehicles or SUVs have been highly popular with consumers allowing the transportation of passengers in some degree of comfort while providing a substantial cargo space. Features, such as four-wheel-drive and higher ground clearance, have likewise appealed to many consumers.
The cargo space of traditional sport utility vehicles has however been limited by the vehicle's closed roof. Other vehicles such as pickup trucks have open cargo sections, which do not restrict tall or unusually shaped cargo, and facilitate loading. While a variety of carmakers have introduced concept SUVs and occasionally production models having retractable or removable roofs, most such models retain full height sidewalls, which hinder loading from the side and restrict the cargo capacity of the product. In models where the user must remove roof sections, the roof section is a cumbersome, inconvenient extraneous element liable to damage. Particularly in developing countries, four-door compact pick up trucks are highly desirable, combining passenger capacity with utilitarian cargo capacity. Other such hybrid vehicles can be expected to be at least equally attractive to consumers, and may stimulate demand in developed markets as well.
What is needed, therefore, are techniques for allowing a user to convent space in a vehicle between use as a passenger compartment and use as a cargo space.